fun everyday

Julia has fun everyday, even when it is allergy season like it is now (not sure if she is crankier because she's three, because she is having allergies, or because she is taking allergy medicines).  She went with us to vote on Tuesday.  Hopefully, the stickers don't mean much, or there is some serious voter fraud going on (see Alieno). 
She had a great visit with Grammie and Poppy complete with a trip to the Botanical Gardens and the merry go round at Bridge Street.  She posed for a picture in her new elephant roll tide shirt made by Nana, and she enjoyed playing in the laundry basket.  She wanted me to join her inside it.  I had a hard time convincing her I wouldn't fit.

pink sand!

 

We are thankful for our little girl everyday, but today we were especially thankful she is a little girl, because the only sand to be had at Wal-mart was pink.  Yay for pink sand, and hooray for not having to go to to another store.  Now we are set for fun in the sand table this fall when cooler weather comes.

 

X.O. Boa Cookie and The Spaceman

We had a great time last night when Patrick came to our house for a playdate.  He immediately started playing with the washing machine, washing and ironing Julia's baby doll clothes.  I told Peter he is a keeper. :)
Our church youth band may be on tour giving concerts every night this week, but Peter and I got to enjoy a special concert in our own den from The Spaceman and X.O. Boa Cookie (I have no idea what that means or where she got the idea for that name), aka Jojo and Juji. Please enjoy a sampling of the concert, forgive the sloppy videography, and notice the carefully selected costumes, even the slipper shoes.

Day out with Thomas

 

We all had a great time going to Calera to Day Out with Thomas.  Julia got to have a picture with Sir Topham Hat, stamp and color, get a Rosie train tattoo, play with trains, play putt-putt golf, eat Dippin' Dots, hear a Thomas birthday story on a train car (and help sing Happy Birthday to Thomas), blow bubbles, play in a sand pit, ride a train car that Thomas pulled, jump in a jumpy house, pick out a souvenir (a stamp), go through a maze, and see a baby goat and other animals at a petting zoo.  And we are glad the camera wasn't lost forever and that I got it from the lost and found the next day. (I made the pictures smaller since there are so many - to see the pictures bigger, click on one and then click through the filmstrip at the bottom.)

 

play date with Patrick

Julia has enjoyed playtime recently with her new friend Patrick.  They have had fun playing while their mommies learn to knit with Anastasia, playing at each other's birthday parties, playing during Sunday school, and having a special playdate at our house a few weeks ago when I took these pictures.  Patrick has introduced Julia to the Beatles, and she likes to sing "Hello, Goodbye" just like he does.  "I say yes, I say no, I say stop, I say go, go, go!"  They had an impromptu concert with Patrick on ottoman drum with flower sticks and Julia on her piano.  Daddy has had to be reminded, even though he has known Patrick's family for a long time, that they are three and four years old and that he has to chill out - it's not yet time to buy clerical collar to wear and a shotgun to sit around cleaning.

birthday bonanza ends

We had a busy weekend last weekend for my birthday.  Saturday my family came to visit, which included lots of yummy food, a trip to Target that included procuring more doll toys, the construction of a train table, and Julia wearing the construction worker costume for a grand total of twenty seconds. Sunday evening our church had a family skating party, so Julia got to try out skating.  Her skates were locked up so she couldn't fly away, but we got them to loosen them some.  She did enjoy marching around the rink with Peter. 

 

Also, I've been learning to knit with some new friends from church.  They took me out for pizza for my birthday this week. Yummy! Anastasia is teaching Kara and me, and this is the result of my first trying to knit. I gave it to Julia for her dolls.   It is a changing pad for 'Woody' and Baby Jenna.

fun with the letter P

 

Julia has had fun with the letter P lately.  Party hats from school birthday parties at snack time (like the Krispy Kreme hat), pretty pigtails, and puzzles, especially this new imaginets set from Grandma Young.  She can work the four and five piece cards with no help, and enjoys working others, too.